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Am I going to have difficulties obtaining an H1B visa for accounting?

Asked about 2 years ago - San Jose, CA

I graduated from an US college this May with a BA in accounting, and have been working as an "junior" accountant (so to speak - my company's pretty flexible with titles since we're pretty small) since June. I have asked my company to sponsor me for an H1B visa, but after consulting with a lawyer, my company doesn't seem very optimistic. The lawyer said that in order to have a shot at getting approved, I need to be a certified accountant with years of experience, as well as at least a $52K salary.

The salary seems very high to me; I don't know of many recent college grads who are getting offers of over $45K, even at the prestigious Big 4 firms.

Would anybody mind weighing in on this? Thanks!

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So if my current salary is lower than the DOL salaries in my area, I'm basically going to have a hard time getting approved? Is my only option to apply when I get a raise?

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Attorney answers (1)

Elaine Martin

Reputation Level 15

Answered about 2 years ago. Immigration Attorney in Coppell, TX.

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The attorney might have checked the DOL salaries for accountants in the San Jose area. The lowest is $51,293. There are other financial occupations with lower salaries, but you cannot classify yourself as something inaccurate, or as something that doesn't require a bachelor's degree in a specific field. The bachelor's degree is the minimum requirement for H-1B positions. You don't need to show experience, so unless you don't have a US bachelor's degree, I'm not sure why the lawyer mentioned needing experience.

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